In designing mobile networks, an architecture has arisen in which the network can be divided into a Core Network (CN) and a Radio Access Network (RAN). The RAN provides wireless communication channels to User Equipment (UE), while the CN is typically comprises of nodes and functions making use of fixed links. In the RAN, fronthaul and backhaul connections often rely on wired connections, although some wireless connections (typically between fixed points) are present. The RAN has different requirements and issues to address than the CN.
With planning for next generation networks, and researching techniques that can enable such networks, network slicing has drawn attention for the benefits that it can provide in the CN. When combined with such techniques as Network Function Virtualization (NFV) and Software Defined Networking (SDN), network slicing can allow for the creation of Virtual Networks (VNs) atop a general pool of compute, storage and communications resources. These VNs can be designed with control over in-network topology, and can be designed with traffic and resource isolation so that traffic and processing within one slice is isolated from traffic and processing demands in another slice. By creating network slices, isolated networks can be created with characteristics and parameters specifically suited to the needs of the traffic flows intended for the slice. This allows for a single pool of resources to be divided up to service very specific and disparate needs, without requiring that each slice be able to support the demands of the services and devices supported by other slices. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a CN that has been sliced, may appear to the RAN as a plurality of core networks, or there may be a common interface, with each slice identified by a slice identifier. It should also be understood that while a slice may be tailored to the traffic patterns of the flows that it is intended to carry, there may be multiple services (typically with similar requirements) carried within each slice. Each of these services is typically differentiated by a service identifier.
In creating a sliced core network, it should be understood that typically the resource pool that is being drawn upon for slice resources is somewhat static. The compute resources of a data center are not considered to be dynamic on a short term basis. The bandwidth provided by a communications link between two data centers, or between two functions instantiated within a single data center does not typically have dynamic characteristics.
The topic of slicing within a Radio Access Network, has arisen in some discussions. RAN slicing poses problems not encountered with slicing in the CN. Issues associated with dynamic channel quality on the radio link to the UE, provision of isolation for transmissions over a common broadcast transmission medium, and how RAN and CN slices interact, have to be addressed to usefully enable Ran slicing in mobile wireless networks.
In Third Generation and Fourth Generation (3G/4G) network architecture, a base station, base transceiver station, NodeB, and evolved NodeB (eNodeB) have been the terms used to refer to the wireless interface to the network. In the following, a generic Access Point is used to denote the wireless edge node of the network. An Access Point will be understood to be any of a Transmission Point (TP), a Receive Point (RP) and a Transmit/Receive Point (TRP). It will be understood that the term AP can be understood to include the above mentioned nodes, as well as their successor nodes, but is not necessarily restricted to them.
Through the use of SDN and NFV, functional nodes can be created at various points in the network and access to the functional nodes can be restricted to sets of devices, such as UEs. This allows what has been referred to as Network Slicing in which a series of virtual network slices can be created to serve the needs of different virtual networks. Traffic carried by the different slices can be isolated from the traffic of other slices, which allows for both data security and easing of network planning decisions.
Slicing has been a used in core networks due to the ease with which virtualized resources can be allocated, and the manner in which traffic can be isolated. In a Radio Access Network, all traffic is transmitted over a common resource which has made traffic isolation effectively impossible. The benefits of network slicing in the Radio Access Network are numerous, but the technical obstacles to designing and implementing an architecture have resulted in a lack of network slicing at the radio edge.
User Equipment (UE) devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets) are becoming more connected to Evolved NodeBs (eNB)s with not only different services running in the foreground (referred to as foreground services) but also with different services running in the background (referred to as background services). UE devices may also be commonly referred to as terminals, subscribers, users, mobile stations, mobiles, and the like. eNBs may also be commonly referred to as NodeBs, base stations, controllers, communications controllers, access points, and the like.
Foreground services (and associated message traffic-“foreground traffic”) include video streaming, web browsing, file transfer, games, and the like. Background services (and associated message traffic-“background traffic”) include keep alive messages generated by a mobile operating system or instant messaging, reports generated by sensors and/or smart meters, and the like.
Providing always on connectivity (maintaining an existing connection to enable low latency communications rather than permitting an existing connection to end and re-establishing another connection when needed) while conserving energy (to maximize battery life, for example) is an ongoing challenge.
In Third Generation and Fourth Generation (3G/4G) network architectures, a base station, base transceiver station, NodeB, and evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) have been the terms used to refer to the wireless interface to the network. In the following, a generic Access Point is used to denote the wireless edge node of the network. An Access Point will be understood to be any of a Transmission Point (TP), a Receive Point (RP) and a Transmit/Receive Point (TRP). It will be understood that the term AP can be understood to include the above mentioned nodes, as well as their successor nodes, but is not necessarily restricted to them.
Services that are supported by a network operator can fall within a range of categories, including for example: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communications such as bi-directional voice and video communications; messaging; streaming media content delivery; ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC); and massive Machine Type Communications (mMTC). Each of these categories could include multiple types of services—for example intelligent traffic systems and eHealth services could both be categorized as types of URLLC services.
In some embodiments, the state configuration for a given UE device may be based on a service that the UE device supports. For example, an enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) service may be mapped to a state configuration that includes ACTIVE, ECO and IDLE states with transition paths between each of those states. Therefore, the state configuration that the eMBB service is mapped to may be selected for a UE device that supports the eMBB service.
The ECO state is an energy saving state that allows transmission of some small packets for the UE. It is useful to reduce the signaling overhead and energy consumption for background traffic such as keep alive messages generated by a mobile operating system, instant messaging, reports generated by sensor and/or smart meters, etc. The ECO state may also be called Inactive state, which will be used in this application.